St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-13

anu WAS trying 10 uuu oue eHc names
of Henry's children, when | noticed
that they weren't answering any of my
questions. So l said:
"T see Pm talking too fast for you.
Now I'll keep still awhile, and let you
tell about the cousins in your own
way
"At this, cousin Sarah looked at
Kornbeck, and he grinned, and cousin
Sarah said stiff1y, she didn't see much
of the relations nowadays; they hadn't
reated her very well. And Kornbeck
himed in and said he thought they
we're mean lot, and he'd set his foot
Own that Sarah shouldn't go near
hem.
"The next morning Kornbeck said
he'd be glad to take me around and
Introduce me to the rest of my cousins;
put the fact was, he wasn't on speak
ng terms with any of them, and he
guessed I'd have to excuse him.
$50 l set out alone. | called on
eleven families of my relations that
morning; and, would you believe it.,
not one of them was on speaking
erms with any of the rest. KOrnbeck
said that there was property row
pack of it all. A matter of four or five
thousand dollars had just split 'em all
up. First they fought and now
they've got along into the sulky stage,
where they don't speak. Why, when
was staying with the Kornbecks, the
rest of the relations would cut me
Head when | met them OH the street.
Then, when 1 went to Johns the
kornbecks wouldn't have anything to
DO with me. And so on with all of 'em.
I'D have been in hot water all around
! f I'd stayed another week in Concor-
lila. There was just one point where
they were all of the same mind. Every
|Dne of them told me they'd be sure and
come out and visit me next summer.
"Well, then | went off into Vermont
Ito Shutdown. There's where Ezra and
|Gamaliel Blossoms folks live. Ezra
was away from home, and they were
sick at Gamaliels so | visited Sylvanus
Blossom.
"Sylvanus is Ezra's second son. He's
"a poet. He went around in a blue
dressing gown, and spent lots of time
in his study writing poetry. He writes
regular for the Shutdown Banner. The
folks there think he's the greatest man
that ever was made. They're always
bringing him out to make speeches on
Fourth of July's, and at funerals. He
breaches sometimes too, when they
don't have minister. The family
didn't talk about nything but him and
his poetry, and saw, if was going to
make myself agreeable, Pd got to be
all the time whOOping it up for him.
His wife lent me some of his verses, SO
that should be posted. But, land !! l
never was any great hand for poetry,
and | couldn't make head or tail out of
it.
"Sylvanus's folks are nice people,
but | could see they didn't think |
amounted to much. 1t seemed to be
because | didn't write poetry. Sylvia
nus said he thought perhaps he might
get some ideas of the West, and he
shouldn't wonder if he dropped in on
us for few weeks next summer.
81 stopped at Pericles Station to Wis
it Caroline Ruggles, she that was Caro-
line Blossom. Ruggles was furni-
ture man. He died about five years
ago, and Caroline just took on about
him the whole time | was there. 1t
nearly drove me crazy. don't see
why she kept at me so about him.
'Twasn't my fault he died. [ only
stayed there day and a half. | told
Caroline | thought a change would do
her good, and she said she guessed
she would take her little girl and come
out here when it got warm weather.
CATER that stopped off at LOOgOO
tee, and Greenbrier, and Saranac Cen
tire, and Gramplan Falls, and finally
brought up ut Day break, where there's
IL lot more of the Blossoms. Day
breaks IL nice town; l think l should
have enjoyed it if L hadn't been visit
ing my relations. They didn't fight
Openly-like they did in COncOrdia-
but they got there just the same. When
some of them got together they'd be
too sweet for anything, then they'd
every one of 'em talk like sin about all
the rest.
elbow they did gossip! | tell you,
Sue, for downright Islander a neighbOr
hood can't hold candle to relations.
Before I'd been there "a hours Pd heard
the private affairs of every Blossom
family from Maine to California. 1t
wife had had three new dresses this
winter, while Lydia had only had
to make up with her black
slim, UuU Ly uld Sooln0u W GulIh JlltI
ought to know it. But they sat right
down and quizzed me tried to find out
how much money you got from your
father, and wanted to know if it was
so that l ran for county clerk last fall
and got left. | found they knew just
how much we paid our hired girl, and
that the carpet on our front parlOr
wasn't paid for yet. James came right
out and asked me if paid my fare or
on a pass, and said he could
see the trip hadn't cost me so very
much because I'd lived on my relations
all the way. / overheard Helen telling
Charities wife she should think I'd be
ashamed of myself to be spreading
around the country spending money,
when the house we lived in was mort |
gagged for all it was worth.
''COusin Horace GOforth had a house
full of the worst boys l ever saw in my
life. One of 'em wore my silk hat to a
and got to snOwballing COM
ng home, and you never saw such a
sight as that hat was. Cousin Horace
said he didn't suppose he and Laura
would get around to visit us this year,
out he'd send the boys down to spend |
heir vacation with us.
81 wasn't sorry to leave Daybreak
when the time came, although they all
eased me to stay, and came down to
he depot to see me off and sent lots of
owe to you and COrny.
81 learned from the genealOgy that
oolhemus Blossom was living at Co
'ymbO City. Now l never'd seen Pol
lemus: but l thought he might feel
'lighted if he heard I'd been down
hat way and gone right past him. So
drOnnal him a nnStal sauinn / mas